Site Supervisor Best Practices

The Strommen Center for Meaningful Work at Augsburg University appreciates your willingness to supervise an Augsburg University Intern. Thank you for providing a valuable on-the-job learning experience for one of our students. We believe you and your organization will receive capable assistance, enthusiasm, new ideas, and other numerous benefits.

We understand and appreciate your investment of time in supervising a student. Your important guidance, training, and feedback are the essential components that make an Internship different from other part-time jobs. Students receiving internship credit for their work experience hope to apply classroom learning to actual situations, learn new skills and understanding, and test out career interests. In this relationship, you become a supervisor/teacher and the student a worker/learner, working together to achieve your organization’s goals and the student’s learning objectives. Additionally, you gain the personal satisfaction of helping prepare a future member of your professional community.

To encourage the best possible work and educational experience, we suggest the following best practices for supervisors:

ORIENTATION

  • Provide a position description. Explain specific duties and expected standards of performance.
  • Clarify schedule, acceptable attire, deadlines, degree of independence, and to whom the student will report.
  • Give the student a tour of the office and company/organization. Introduce the student to key personnel and point out supplies, resources and basic office procedures.
  • Describe your organization and your department. Supply an organizational chart if available. Explain the student’s role within the organization. Relate how your department fits into the big picture.
  • Offer the student websites, brochures, newsletters, manuals and reports that can provide information on your organization’s purpose, development, policies and activities.
  • Discuss with the student the learning objectives that she/he would like to accomplish.
  • Review the NACE Competencies for a Career-Ready Workforce. At the end of their semester, we will ask students in the 0-credit internship course to describe what they learned or how they developed in at least two competency areas through their internship with you. You are welcome to ask students questions about any of these competencies. You are welcome to review the Final Reflection Assignment to get a better picture of what we are asking students to consider.
Image showing the career readiness competencies.

SUPERVISION

  • Schedule regular meetings to go over assignments, answer questions, and offer feedback. Encourage the student to contribute ideas and suggestions.
  • Review performance on an informal, on-going basis. Discuss strengths and areas for improvement. Most students welcome constructive feedback on their performance. Don’t forget positive reinforcement. Many students are concerned about how they are doing, but may feel uncomfortable about asking.
  • Adjust the level of responsibility, if necessary. Add new tasks or provide more training.
  • Include the student in some staff meetings, if at all possible. Explain why and how certain departmental or company decisions are made.
  • Share your own career path. Introduce students to professional literature and resource persons in your organization. Recommend further experiences or courses in your field. Encourage and facilitate similar discussions with other professionals.

EVALUATION

At the end of the internship, we will ask you to complete an evaluation via Qualtrics.

We encourage you to discuss your evaluation with the student.  Please discuss your perception of accomplishments and the student’s level of knowledge and skills and how this may affect future education and career goals. An optional letter of recommendation, written on your company letterhead, may be valuable to the student for future post-graduation employment or graduate school.  

We hope you find working with an Augsburg student an exciting and rewarding experience. Your efforts in this working partnership are greatly appreciated.

If you have any concerns or comments, please contact: strommen.internships@augsburg.edu